Analysis of Southern Gothic Literature Essay

southerly Gothic lit, which is a sub-genre of the Gothic composing style, is unique to the American South. Southern Gothic literature has many another(prenominal) of the same aspects as Gothic literature it focuses on topics such as death, madness, and the super natural as well has having many mystical, bizarre, violent, and grotesque aspects. These tools argon used to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the American South (Wikipedia). The beginnings of Southern Gothic writing use damaged characters to enhance their stories, and to memorialise deeper advancedlights of unpleasant southern characteristics.These characters are usually set apart from their societies due to their workforcetal, physical, and or social disabilities. However non all the aspects of the characters are bad it is more(prenominal) often the case that a mixture of well-grounded and bad is lease up in most of the characters (McFLY) The authors of these stories do give the mown(pre nominal) character some good qualities this is so the reviewer will fill sympathy and understanding for the character. Two authors who exhibit the Southern Gothic writing style are William Faulkner, who wrote A bloom for Emily, and Flannery OConner, the author of unspoiled Coun interpret People and A Good Man is Hard to Find.William Faulkners A locomote for Emily is an example of Southern Gothic literature. It contains many aspects of Southern Gothic writing, such as an old dark mansion, death, mystery, bizarre events, and the crazy Miss. Emily. The story takes place in a broken townsfolk in Jeffer give-and-take Mississippi. The fabricator tells us the story of Miss. Emily Grierson, from the towns point of view. ? A Rose for Emily is the remarkable story of Emily Grierson, an aging spinster in Jefferson, whose death and funeral drew the attention of the entire town (Faulkner n. p. ). The first sign that this story is going to be Southern Gothic is when Faulkner describes her funeral. According to the narrator, when Miss. Emily died, e very(prenominal) wiz attended her funeral the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her phratry (Perrines 281). The narrator then goes on to tell the story of Miss. Emily. Miss. Emily lived in a erstwhile beautiful, white, seventies style home, but as the geezerhood went by her home became an eyesore among eyesores (Perrines 281).This may be a reflection of how the town saw Miss. Emily herself, once beautiful and now an eyesore to the entire community. after(prenominal) Miss. Emilys give had died, Colonel Sartoris told her that she would not deliver to pay taxes on her house, due to the fact that her father had loaned money to the town, which the town, . . . , preferred this musical mode of repaying (Perrines 282). So for many years, Miss. Emily went on with out paying taxes. When the following generation came into office, a tax n otification was sent to Miss. Emily, who sent it back to them with no other comments.The Board of Aldermen was sent to her house they knocked at the door through which no visitor had passed (Perrines 282) through for eight to ten years. When they were let in, by the old Negro, they house smelled of dust and disuse (Perrines 282). When Miss. Emily entered the palely light living room she looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water (Perrines 282-283). The spokesman asked why Miss. Emily had not give her taxes, to which she replied I have no taxes in Jefferson. ? See Colonel Sartoris (Perrines 283). What Miss.Emily did not know was that Colonel Sartoris had been dead for almost ten years now. On one occasion, a neighborhood woman went to the mayor to complain of a smell climax from Miss. Emilys house. The mayor thought nothing of it until two more complaints were received the side by side(p) day. last the Board of Aldermen sent four men out to her house the ne ighboring night, after midnight, and sprinkled lime all around Miss. Emilys house and outbuildings After a week or two the smell went away (Perrines 284). After that incident, the slew began to feel sorry for her.They believed that the Griersons held themselves a little too high for what they really were (Perrines 284). No man was good copious for her by her father and by the time she was thirty she was still unwed. After her father died, the mountain finally had a reason to fell bad for her. She was alone in the world with only her house left this left her humanized. The day after her fathers death, the women of the town went to give their condolences to Miss. Emily. To their surprise, Miss. Emily was dressed as usual and had no trace of grief on her face (Perrines 285). Emily told the women that her father was not dead. Finally after three days of trying to hold on to her father, she broke down, and they buried her father quickly (Perrines 285). The towns people jade to jus tify Miss. Emilys actions, by axiom that she had nothing left, and was clinging to the one thing that had robbed her for so long they convinced themselves that she was not crazy. The summer after her father died, the town hired contractors to pave the sidewalks. The foreman, Homer Barron, and Miss. Emily became quite fond of one another.On Sunday afternoons they could bee seen driving in his buggy together. Soon the people began to whisper near Emily and Homer. Emily held her head high she would not be seen as anything other than respectful. The towns people believed that Miss. Emily should have kinfolk come to stay with her for a while. spot Emilys two cousins were visiting her, she went and bought rat poison. When she got to the drug store, she would not tell the druggist why she wanted arsenic, but when she got home, under the skull and bones on the turning point the druggist had written For rats. Everyone believed that she was going to kill herself. But then, Miss. Emily was seen in buying a silver toilet set for men, with H. B. on each piece, and then she bought a complete mens outfit. Everyone said They are married, referring to Miss. Emily and Homer Barron. When the streets were done, Homer left. Three days after Emilys cousins had left, Homer was back in town he was seen going in to Miss. Emilys house through the Kitchen door at dusk. No one say Homer or Emily for some time. When she was next seen, she had grown fat, and her hair was turning gray.Year after year, the people watched as the Negro man grew older and older. The only sign of Miss Emily was when she was seen through one of her downstairs windows. Then one day Miss. Emily died. The women and men came to pay respects, and to see what Miss. Emily had kept hidden for so many years. After she was buried, the towns people went back to Emilys house to look at the room which had not been used in everyplace forty years. What they found would explain many things that had happened everywhere the years. After the door was forced open, and the dust settled, they looked about the room.On the dresser an outfit and tie were laid out, along with a pair of shoes. In the bed, they found Mr. Homer Barron. Finally, someone noticed that on the pillow next to Mr. Barrons, someone had been sleeping on it. A head indention was in the pillow, along with a angiotensin converting enzyme strand of Miss. Emilys gray hair. Miss. Emily killed Homer largely to placate society, although that, in her deranged mind, also secured him as her lover forever (Dilworth n. p. ). Flannery OConner is another author who writes in the Southern Gothic style. His story Good Country People takes place in south.He uses attributes such as lies, faithless ness, and deception to make his story Southern Gothic. The main character, Hulga, finds many things to be wrong with the world she lives in she also finds many things wrong with mother. Hulga is a large girl with a crippled leg. She does not believe in God, and she uses her studies as an excuse to escape the world. Mrs. Hopewell tries to convince herself that Joy, who changed her name to Hulga, is still a child, even thought Hulga is thirty- two years old. Nothing is perfect and that is life where two of Mrs.Hopewells favorite sayings (Good Country People n. p. ). Mrs. Hopewell and Mrs. Freeman, the landlord, talked about many things together. One thing that they both agreed on was there arent enough good county people (OConnor n. p. ). While Mrs. Hopewell was making dinner one night, a young man, by the name of Pointer, came to the Hopewells house to sell bibles. Hulga, who was atheist, was not to fond of the young man, but once Mrs. Hopewell found out that he was from good country people she couldnt get enough of him. She even invited him in for dinner.During dinner Pointer talked to Hulga about his family and where he was from and why he sold Bibles. After dinner, Hulga walked the young man out. The next day, Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hop ewell were talk about the Bible salesman. Mrs. Freeman said she had seen Hulga talking to him at the fence, and wandered what she had said to the boy. Hulga over heard all this, and tried to make a scene by getting up and stumping with about twice the noise that was necessary, into her room (OConnor n. p. ). When Hulga got to her room, she went over the conversation that she had with Pointer the day before.Hulga and Pointer had made plans to go on a picnic the next day. Hulga tried to act as if she did not really want to go, but she had other plans of her own. While she was in bed that night, she went over all the different ways that she could seduce Pointer. Hulga imagined that the two of them walked ? until they came to the storage barn ? and that she very easily seduced him (OConnor n. p. ). When she got up the next morning to met Pointer at the gate, he wasnt there, she thought she had been stood up, and then she saw him he had been behind a bush.He was there in the same di rty old clothes as yesterday, only this time he had on a hat. Hulga asked, Why did you bring your Bibles? They just keep on walking though, until they got to the barn. Once inside the barn, they climbed up into the convert loft. Once they were both in the loft, Pointer started kissing Hulga When here glasses got in the way, he took them off of her and slipped them into his pocket (OConnor n. p. ). Once Hulga re off-key his kisses he told her that he love her, to this Hulga had no reply for many minutes.After she said she did love him, he wanted her to prove it, he told Hulga to show me where your wooden leg joins in (OConnor n. p. ). Hulga couldnt do this, not at first anyways. Finally after she had taken off her wooden leg, but when she wanted it back on, Pointer refused to give it back, alternatively he placed it in his Bible suitcase. Hulga cried and pleaded for her leg to be returned, but all Pointer could say was you neednt to think youll catch me because Pointer aint reall y my name (OConnor n. p. ) Flannery OConnor also wrote A Good Man is Hard to Find. The story takes place in Georgia. In this story a nanna and her family were deciding on where to go for the family vacation. The grandmother did not want to go to Florida, which is where the rest of the family wanted to go, she wanted to go to Tennessee. To try to convince the family not to go to Florida, she told them that she told them that she had just read on article about a prisoner, The Misfit, who had escaped form the Federal Penitentiary. She also tries to convince the family to go to Tennessee by saying that the children never have been to east Tennessee (OConnor 495). The family would not listen to her, and decided to go to Florida anyways. On the way down to Florida, the family stopped at a little diner to get lunch. While they were there the owner and his wife were talking about the Misfit as well. After leaving the dinner the grandmother remembered a house that she had once been to it w as an old Southern Plantation. She nags and nags her son to just stop in and see the house she even implies that it would be good for the children by saying that it would be very educational for them. Finally after her grandchildren pleaded their father to stop, her son finally decided to take a short drive down the driveway of the house. Once they had turned down the long dirt road, which went to the plantation, the grandmother suddenly remembered that the house she had been thinking of was not even in Georgia, but in Tennessee. Rather than telling her son that she had made a mistake, she just sat back and keeps it to herself. As they were driving down the driveway, the grandmothers cat sprang form its resting spot and landed on her sons shoulder.The cable car went out of control, the children where thrown to the floor and their mother ? was thrown out of the car the old lady was thrown into the front puke (OConnor 502). The children were ecstatic about being in a wreck. While the parents and grandmother while trying to recuperate form what had just happened, a truck pulled up. The grandmother had a feeling that she knew the man who stepped out of the truck. The man said he had seen the accident happen, and told one of the boys in the truck with him to go check and see if the car would still run.Thatswhen the grandmother knew who the man was it was The Misfit. Youre the Misfit exclaimed the grandmother. Yesm ? but it it would have been better for all of you, lady, if you hadnt of reckernized me (OConnor 503). The Misfit had no other choose, he told Bobby lee to take the father and the boy and go back into the woods. The whole time, the grandmother was trying to talk The Misfit out of hurting her. She told the Misfit, I just know youre a good man (505). To this he replies, Nome, I aint a good man (505). Then the sound of gunfire was heard coming form where Bobby Lee had taken her son and grandchild.Next the Misfit had the mother and the other two chil dren taken back into the woods. The grandmother still tried to talk her way out of being hurt, but failed to ask that her family be saved as well. Three more rounds of shots could be heard from the woods, the grandmother only talked faster to try to save her own life. She told him that Jesus would forgive him of his sins if only he would ask for it. Finally when the grandmother looked at The Misfit she said Why youre one of my babies. Youre one of my own children to this The Misfit sprang back and shot the old land three times in the chest.All of the stories that are discussed in this paper have many signs of being Southern Gothic literature. They show sings of characters that are extremely flawed, stingy, and uncaring. The stories are mysterious, bizarre, and ironic in the end. Southern Gothic authors use these types of traits in their stories to catch the readers attention, and to show aspects of the south that are not perfect. Southern Gothic literature is suspenseful and awkwar d, but is a very well known writing style. Works Cited Definition of southern gothic as provided by Wikipedia .Dilworth, Thomas A Romance to Kill For Homicidal Complicity in Faulkners A Rose for Emily Studies in Short Fiction (363) 1999 251-62 OConnor, Flannery. A Good Man Is Hard to Find Perrines Literature Structure, Sound, and Sense. 8th ed. Boston, MA Heinle & Heinle, 2001. 495- 509. OConnor, Flannery. Good Country People. n. p. 31 Jan. 2006. . Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily 2002 Perrines Literature Structure, Sound, and Sense. 8th ed. Boston, MA Heinle & Heinle, 2001. 281- 289. Faulkner, William William Faulkner on the web . Southern Gothic. McFLY. n. d. 5 Feb. 2006 .